12/18 Update: Matt posted an Unhappy Review on his blog. He said "The movie is blatantly anti-Christian. It's not even a subtle attempt to ridicule Christianity: It's obvious. In fact, it's central to the tone of the flick!"11/29 Byevad recently posted a positive review. He liked it and said: "It's a cute story of a penguin named Mumble who is different from the rest of the penguin population and how he is treated. It follows some of the typical story lines of this genre: outcast hero, father wants him to conform to the rest of society, mother is supportive of child who is "different", hero leaves and finds a society who does things differently, and comes back home to save his society from outside destructive forces."
I'd really love to hear some other perspectives on this. I'm not generally one who wants to be knee-jerk about things. I'm just trying to figure out a way to say what I saw without sounding nuts. :-)
ReplyDeleteLeft a note for Byevad ... maybe he will respond.
ReplyDeleteI saw "Happy Feet" and walked away feeling very mixed about it. I really enjoyed the movie and I thought the story was much richer and more developed than most cartoons - most movies for that matter. The music and graphics were amazing. But I also got some very uneasy feelings while watching.
ReplyDeleteAlmost from the instant the movie began, I felt that it was approaching and crossing a line concerning sexuality. It is incredibly suggestive, even making my 10-year-old look at me questionably at times.
I also agree with Matthew, but in that it is blatantly ridiculing fundamental christianity. However, I think this in many ways is effective. I really like that in the end we learn that a small group of convicted "penguins" can work to change things, repentence blossoms, and everyone works together.
But there seems to be a motive in this film that I am very suspicious of. I really think this movie was produced with an intent for sympathy toward homosexuality. Although I believe the the Bible teaches that the practice of homosexuality is a sin, I am one that also believes that fundamental christianity has self-righteously postered against the people this affects, not the sin itself. So I agree with the suspected symbolism of the movie in some ways. BUT, I completely disagree with some of the conclusions and that a children's movie is the proper forum.
I tend to see very philosophical and symbolic themes that others do not see and may be way off. But these ideas seemed very central to me in this film and made me very uncomfortable. But I must say, my younger children (6&7) were completely unaware and enjoyed the film immensely and walked away with the same positive message Byevad shared. My older one (10) was more aware and came away with a little more mature information than I was expecting (concerning the religious and sexual aspect, not my crazy theory) - but we did have a great discussion about it.
I have talked to several of my friends, and they all agree about the sexuality. Several said they were uncomfortable about the movie and could not quite identify why.
Anyway, that is my 2-cents!
Thanks for the comment Missy! It was very insightful and gave some depth about the tension around the movie.
ReplyDeleteKB - I want to also note, that even though I felt this way about the movie, I am glad we went. I do not think that I will be buying the DVD to watch over and over, but it had some great things to talk about with my kids. And it was incredibly entertaining. Just be prepared to watch their reactions - don't let them go without you!
ReplyDeleteMissy stated it very well. Some people I have told this too have had "it's just a cartoon!" reactions.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is the fact that ITS NOT just a cartoon! It's marketed as being "just a cartoon" and yet it is not.
Byevad posted this comment at his site:
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... I read Matt's review and I can honestly say that I didn't see much of what he typed about when I was watching the movie. I can see where one might infer some of the things that he wrote about. I don't know Matt and I didn't read anything else that he wrote. I'll try to do that at another time. [Another caveat before I go any further: it's been about a month since I've seen the movie so the details might be a bit fuzzy!] .
Perhaps I saw things a bit differently because of my experiences and perspective, not necessarily anti-Christian, but more anti-establishment.
.
I believe that there was a conscious effort to juxtapose the "old guard" characters of the ruling class in Mumble's flock against the "free spirit" characters of Lovelace's flock. I have lived through an "old guard" Christianity in my younger days where it seemed that they didn't care about the individual but about conformity. I have witnessed some of the "free spirit" charismatic preachers as well. I guess I took this more as a social commentary about the different types as opposed to it being an anti-Christian movie.
.
As far as the communist comment I would ask if geese flying south in the winter would be considered communist because they share the load of taking the headwinds until they are too tired and drop back in the formation to take an easier turn. For all I know, they could be squawking "Share the wind!"
.
Anyway, I think this is a long winded response to say that I didn't see what Matt saw while viewing the movie. I can see how Matt (and others) could see what Matt wrote about. At the very least, Matt's comments were thought provoking. Perhaps I'm too calloused. Perhaps Matt is very sensitive.
.
I'd be interested in anyone else's thoughts who has seen the movie. Thanks, KB, for pointing the review out.
KB, we'll have to get our link to your site updated. It took me a little bit, but I got here!
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting to see what others' have gotten out of this movie.
I would agree that there was an underlying story about choosing a mate -- the Emporer Penguins choose based on the beauty/complexity of their song. The other penguins choose based on the number of pebbles that can be provided for their nest. I took this as it was, a commentary about how mates are choosen.
I think where a bit of the discomfort comes for me is that these two bases for choosing a mate are superficial and (hopefully!) don't translate to how humans choose a mate... although perhaps this is part of the social commentary as well.
Do we choose a mate because they look beautiful and have a talent that is valued by the community? Do we choose a mate because of their wealth?
Hopefully, as Christians, neither one of those characteristics determine our choice.
Missy, I totally missed any homosexual sympathetic undercurrents in this movie. Could you elaborate a bit more so I could understand?
Byevad, there is a 99% chance I am completely wrong - maybe even more. I really intended to keep these speculations to myself.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think I may be bringing in generational bias and gay rights is the civil struggle of my generation. But I also know that many of the people working on this film are part of my generation, so I am torn.
This movie seems to pull together all the issues around civil rights - the struggle of the minority or the outcast. But this movie does not focus on what is different on the outside - it focuses on what is different on the inside - the heartsong. It is not just the penguins ability to sing, but the unique song that comes from their heart. Mumble does have a heartsong, he just expresses it differently - but no one else can even see that he has one.
Mumble is not pressured to segregrate or live a life less significant than others, but rather to assimilate, find love and raise a family. I noted a conversation between Mumble and Gloria, where he tells her they can never have children and she is okay with that as long as they have love.
The struggle with the dissappointing father is common in these cartoons, but I find it particularly deep in this one - to the point that he wants nothing to do with Mumble. And he is torn with guilt because he believes that it is all his fault - that if he had not dropped the egg, Mumble would not be so different.
I also consider the "fundamental" message throughout the film to repent and the belief that what Mumble is doing is not just odd, but sinful to the point of bringing the "Great Guin's" wrath upon them all.
And this may be a shot in the dark, but when Mumble is born, he says, "I'm just happy!" And we know what the synonym for "happy" is. ;) (I don't really think that - but who knows?)
Anyway, these are some of the symbolic things in the movie that led me to my thoughts. I am not trying to convert anyone to my belief here. I think all these messages are great and I don't think many people will see what I saw, especially kids. I think the discomfort came because I kept feeling like I was being set up in a debate - like, "Okay, so you agree with all my points, so why can't you believe..."
Missy, thanks for the clarification of your thoughts. I now understand why you came away with that speculation, and why I had missed it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the point of the movie is to force the viewer to look at what's on the inside. The flip side of that is what the old guard and Mumble's dad focused on... the actions.
Isn't that ultimately what Jesus came to break us out of? Look beyond the external to what's in the heart? He came to heal the heart of humanity.
I never saw Mumble's parting with Gloria as a hint toward "an alternative lifestyle". I actually saw a bit of Jesus in him, in that he knew he had a mission to complete, he wanted to be singularly focused, and he didn't want her to be put in harm's way.
It's kind of interesting (as I think more about it) that a slight change of perspective can shed light on Mumble being Jesus-like in this movie.
I think I'll have to see this movie again in order to "see" it through fresh eyes (and not a month old filter!).
Byevad - just to clarify, I did not think that Mumble, or any of the character's where portrayed as homosexual in any way. I greatly admired Mumbles character and also see the point you make very clearly. I also saw a Christ-like theme in his portrayal. There were many great and noble themes in this show, and it is one of the reasons I am torn about my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI walked away from the film with an unsettled feeling that took me several days to identify. Like I said, I just felt like each of the moral plots in the movie could have been a point-by-point argumentative setup.